The Trial of the Roses
by SuntoryAngel
Summary: Three orphans find themselves in the Garden of Eden, a sacred place used for passing judgment and a place forbidden to those outside the castle walls. When Princess Akiza finds them in the Garden, she offers them a chance to escape the death penalty for trespassing. Little do they know that together, they discover a hidden secret behind the Garden. ON HOLD FOR NOW
1. Prolouge

The Trial of Roses Prologue

Beware the rose;  
for in its beauty lies judgement.  
Choose carefully;  
for nothing can be hidden.  
Though there are many;  
you may only chose one.  
Choose wrongly,  
the poison will take your life.

Yellow as gold as the High Priest's cross;  
honesty, trust, and openness.

Orange as the Jester's bells;  
no harm meant nor done.

Gray as the King's wisdom;  
intelligence, wit, and strategist.

Purple as the royal amethyst worn by the Queen;  
a lost soul asking for rebirth.

Blue as the Concealed One's tears;  
sadness and need.

Pink as the newly born Prince;  
beginning of forgiveness and retribution.

White as the Princess's skin;  
innocence in its purest form.

Red as the Devil's eyes;  
blood has stained their hands.

Black as the Undertaker's cloak;  
Death has visited.

Beware the size,  
for it tells how deep.  
The bigger the bloom,  
the more dangerous the thorns,  
the more dangerous the truth.


	2. The Three Orphans

Me: Hey, everyone! Here's a new story I came up with!

Yusei: I'm pretty excited for what you have in store.

Akiza: Me too!

M: I'm so happy to hear it! It took me a while to finalize, but I'm overall please with how it turned out! :)

Crow: Can we get started now?

Jack: She doesn't own any rights to Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds.

M: Please read and review!

* * *

The Trial of Roses

Chapter 1

"Come on! The guards are right behind us!" I shouted over my shoulder at my friends. "Just let the bag go!"

"No way! We haven't eaten yet today and I'm starving!" the smaller one with spiked orange hair crowed.

I skid to a halt as one guard caught him by his shirt collar, dangling him in the air. "Crow!"

"Let him go right now before I make you regret it!" Jack, my other friend, shouted, his violet eyes narrowing. He was the taller than most boys our age and had upturned blonde hair.

"Shut your trap, blondie, or we will throw you in a cell as well." The guard towered over us, his lips twisted in a smirk that said 'I dare you to try and stop me' as he tore the sack from Crow's hands.

"No! Give it back! It's ours!" Crow cried, fighting to break the guard's hold on him.

"That's it!"

"Jack, no! Don't do it!" Before I could stop him, he had climbed the guard's back like a little squirrel and bit his shoulder. I face palmed. "Jeeze, Jack, I swear you are going to be the death of us."

"Don't just stand there! Help me out!" Jack yelled, snatching the sack from the guard's hand.

Still shaking my head, I jumped onto his arm and pinched his hand until he released Crow, dropping him like a rag doll. "Come on!" Grabbing both their hands, I turned and sprinted down the alley with the guard's yells following.

I don't know how long we ran, but by the time we collapsed from running, the sun was starting to set. We leaned against a nearby tree trunk, panting and sweating like dogs. "Are...you two...alright?" I gasped, slowly starting to regain my breath.

"Yea..."

"I...think...so..." Crow huffed, grabbing the sack from Jack and opening it. "Good...it's all...still...here." He pulled out three loaves of wheat bread, handing one to each of us.

As we hungrily devoured our small meal for the day, I began to notice our surroundings. The greenery was vibrant and lush, much different than the pale green of the thirsting meadows around town. The flowers were in various shades of colors; pinks, reds, yellows, even purples! There was a tiled path that lead farther into the greenery, almost inviting us to venture further.

A soft sound came from within the foliage, barely above a whisper. It sounded like someone was singing... Standing, I began to to follow the tiles, gently brushing away the plants that snagged on my torn and worn clothing. At the end of the trail was a marble fountain of a giant dragon. The wings were ginormous and they had a faint red tinge to them.

"Who do you think that is?" Crow whispered, tilting me to the left.

Standing before the mighty dragon was a cloaked figure about our height. The hood was brushed back by a breeze that swept through and revealed a girl with dark magenta colored hair that fell to her shoulders.

"Wow," I whispered.

"She's quite pretty, isn't she?" Jack whispered and we nodded.

"What are you three doing here?" We stiffened as she ran up to us, shoving us into the bushes, her hands covering Jack and Crow's mouths as a gruff voice called from nearby.

"Hello?"

"What are you-" the words died on my lips as she stared me in the eye; her eyes were a caramel color, sparkling brightly in the sinking sun's last rays.

She released the other two once the guard had disappeared into the coming night. "What are you doing here? Don't you know that this garden is forbidden to those from outside the castle?"

"Wait, then that means-"

"You are in the Garden of Eden." she finished, nodding.

"Oh..."

"Shit..."

"We are so dead," I grimaced, looking at my friends.

The Garden of Eden was a place reserved for holding judgement as well as reward. Criminals were often taken to the Garden for judgement of their crimes. Many were never heard or seen again...

"Everyone knows that the punishment for trespassing into the Garden is death." she stated, folding her arms over her chest. "So mind explaining why you are here?"

"Us? What about you, huh?" Jack demanded, glaring. "What are you doing in the Garden?"

"She doesn't need to tell us anything." I cut in, pointing out the slim silver band around her head. "Only one family wears those, and that's the royal family. Isn't that right, Princess Akiza?"

Pink bloomed softly in her cheeks, accenting her high cheekbones, but her gaze unwavered from Jack's shocked gaze. "What of it?"

Jack suddenly knelt and took her hand in his. "Beloved princess of the land, it is truly an honor to meet you." His showcase of mannerism seemed to lessen the hardness in her eyes, making them softer and more pretty than before.

"We apologize for our rudeness, Princess." I said, bowing my head and ducking the other two's. "We are prepared for the punishment."

"As long as it's you giving us the punishment, I don't mind it at all," Crow lifted his face slightly and I saw him flash his signature smile.

"You might as well save the flattery," she snapped. "It won't get you anywhere."

We hung our heads. Looked like tonight was going to be our last...

"However..."

I blinked in surprise as she walked over to a large bush full of yellow roses. The law stated than only criminals and their victims were allowed to pick the roses from the Garden! I reached out a hand to stop her, but my hand fell in shock as she picked three small yellow buds and walked back to stand before us. Her hands were unscathed! She had been able to pick the roses without being harmed by the poison filled thorns!

"If you three accept these roses, you will be allowed to live,"

"But doesn't the yellow rose represent-"

Her hand suddenly lashed out and and flicked Crow's nose. "Interrupt me again and I will have you thrown in the dungeon."

He rubbed his nose, glaring up at her. "Why would you give us the rose that means honesty, trust, and openness? Why would you trust us of all people?"

I heard her whisper about something about there being other meanings behind each color. What was she talking about? Did she know something about the Garden's secrets that not even the High Priest knows?

"Anyway, accept these roses, and you will live past tonight." she continued, holding out the buds to us.

Slowly, after glancing sideways at Jack and Crow, I reached out and took a bud from her open palms. A shock shot up my arm as my fingers brushed her skin, causing goosebumps to cover my body. Crow and Jack seemed to feel the same thing as well when they took the other buds, judging from the little jump they tried to shake off.

"But there's a catch."

"I thought so..." I heard Jack mumble under his breath, and nudged him with my elbow to shush him.

"You will have to join the castle staff as my personal servants."

"WHAT?!" Our jaws dropped as we looked from her to the little buds we held in our hands. "SERVANTS?!"

"Why would we do that?!" Jack shouted angrily, all manners forgotten as he grabbed the front of her cloak.

Her eyes suddenly flashed brightly and I gasped as Jack was nearly thrown backward by a powerful gust of wind. What was happening? Where did this wind come from?

He gritted his teeth, but was able to withstand the wind's push, his hand clenching her clothing tightly as it became stronger. Princess Akiza's cloak seemed to lash out and whip Jack as he struggled to stay standing. "How are you doing this? Are you some sort of monster or witch?!"

"Let go of me at once!" she yelled over the now screaming wind.

"Let her go, Jack!" Crow grabbed his shirt, tugging him back until he finally released her and they both tumbled to the ground. "It's better to be alive as servants than to be dead!"

Jack glowered at him, his hands clenched into fists, and crossed his arms over his chest. I turned back to the Princess and blinked in surprise. She was crying. Big crystallin tears were trickling down her cheeks and soaking her clothing. Reaching out my hand, I slowly began taking small steps toward her.

"...Stay back..."

The wind returned, pushing me back a few inches, but I never stopped my advance. I didn't know why, but the fearful look in her eyes made my protective instincts kick in. What was she so afraid of?

"Please, I don't want to hurt you!" she sobbed, backing away as my hand brushed her cheek. "I don't know how to control my power! Please, stay away!"

"I'm not afraid of you." I said, stepping forward and pulling her into my arms.

Her tears soaked my shirt as she continued to cry, her small body shaking with each sob. It took me a second to notice that she was making words; something about no one understanding her or treating her differently because of the strange power we just witnessed...

"Is she okay?" I felt her stiffen and pull away as Crow came up beside me. "Jack really didn't mean what he said, honest!"

"Right, Jack?" I turned and gave him my sideways look that said 'fix what you started'.

He huffed, stood, and walked to stand before the Princess. "I'm...um...sorry about what I said."

She turned away from us, her shoulders slumped and head hanging. "Don't worry about it...forget what you saw and just leave..."

"I actually kinda like it here." I said, walking up to the fountain and trailed my fingers in the cool water. "It's quiet and peaceful."

"And it's much nicer than the alley campout we made!" Crow came up and splashed me.

"Does the offer still stand?" I asked, turning back to give the Princess my best smile. "We would be more than happy to accept."

Shock and disbelief spread across her features as she registered our words. "You WANT to stay?!"

"It wouldn't be all bad," Jack came up and stood on my other side. "At least we will have beds. We won't have to share, right?"

"Aww, come on, Jack, you love to share your cot with me!" Crow teased, slinging an arm over his shoulders, earning him a an annoyed huff.

She closed her eyes, sighing. Was she going to revoke her offer? I felt a surge of relief as she smiled. "If you really want, you may come and live in the castle as my servants."

I held out my hand, wanting to seal the deal.

"I want to know the names of my new servants before we make it official." she said, keeping her hand out of my reach.

"I'm Crow! Nice to meet you!" he said, giving her another of his bright smiles.

"Crow..." she said, walking to stand in front of him. "You're eyes are as gray as marble. What an unusual color!"

"Well, yea, I guess you could say that." He scratched the back of his head, a light pink tinging his cheeks as she leaned forward to get a better look at them.

"How pretty!" she clapped her hands, smiling widely.

"Jack's my name, and don't you forget it."

"As if I would forget yours," she scoffed, turning her attention to my blonde friend. "You sure have a smart mouth and an attitude."

"One of his best features..." Crow mumbled.

"You would really be a challenge for my suitors and tutors."

"Wait, what?" Jack's mouth opened and closed like a fish. I had to admit, it was nice seeing him speechless for once.

"And what about you?" she asked, turning to give me her attention. "Silent, always in control and easily adaptable to every situation presented. Do you have a name?"

I smiled. "Yusei."

"Yusei..." she whispered softly, studying me up and down. "Is your hair naturally like that?"

"Yea, it's sort of a genetic thing," I said, shrugging sheepishly. "I got it from my dad's side." I froze as she reached up and began running her fingers through my wild hair.

Her eyes softened as her fingers gently combed through my hair, sending shivers down my spine. "It's so soft..." I heard her whisper. "Almost like silk!"

I felt my face warm slightly. There wasn't really anything special about its color. It was a normal black, like charcoal, and lots of people had that color hair. Why would she be so fascinated with my wild hair?

"As you all know, I am Princess Akiza," she said, stepping away from me and bowing before the three of us. "And I welcome you to the castle."

* * *

M: Well? What do you guys think? Sorry, Jack, but I couldn't resist putting your little princess routine from the anime in here!

Jack: YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!

Crow: Hey, it might be kinda fun!

Akiza*seen off to the side, trying to hide a smile*: I could have so much fun with this...

Yusei: See you next time!


	3. The Orange Rose

M: Hey there, everyone! Guess what I have for you?

Crow: Food?

Jack: Cards?

Yusei: Parts for my runner?

M: No, sillies, a new chapter! Yusei was the star of the first one, but now it's Crow's turn!

C: I'll try my best!

J: Forgetting someone?

M: Nope. Your turn is in Chapter 3.

Y: She doesn't own rights to Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds.

* * *

Trial of Roses-Chapter 2

The Princess led us from the Garden to a staircase that seemed to disappear into the ceiling. "This is my personal wing." she explained, gesturing us to follow her up the stairs that eventually leveled out into a hallway that stretched a few yards. "Your rooms are connected to mine just for security reasons. The bathrooms are on both sides of this hallway."

The walls were a dusky purple color with rose patterns in a light pink. There were lantern shaped lights casting a warm light on us as we walked behind the Princess, giving the paintings of various landscapes appear to be windows. Who knew that this place would be so...girly.

Hearing a crunching sound, I turned and saw that we had left muddy footprints in the carpet that was the same color as the roses on the wall. I almost felt bad for wearing my dirty old shoes inside the castle, but it helped the place seem less stuffy. Yusei caught my glance and grimaced as he took in the mess we had left. He tapped Jack on his shoulder and gestured to his feet. He took the hint and kicked his shoes off, which landed with a loud thump

I looked to the Princess, half-expecting the other half hoping her to throw a tantrum at Jack's casualness and the fact that we had brought mud into her wing...but she was still talking! She was still giving the tour as if nothing had happened!

"Here is where you will eat." She opened another door to reveal a long dining hall with a long table that was covered with a white lace table cloth. The walls were a lighter purple, but the carpet was still a girly-pink. A servant, who looked like she could have been our grandmother with all those wrinkles around her hazel eyes and the warts growing from her nose, came forth and declared that dinner was served.

"Wow! Look at all this food!" My jaw dropped as a giant roasted boar surrounded with various veggies and an apple stuffed in its snout was placed in front of the Princess as she took her seat at the head. "We get to eat like this EVERYDAY?!"

"As my servants, you must all be in prime condition." the Princess stated, buttering a golden biscuit. "That means three square meals a day, plenty of exercise, and at least seven hours of sleep."

"We will do our best, Princess." we chorused over our suddenly verbal stomachs.

She looked up from her biscuit and told us to sit, gesturing to the empty seats next to her. I immediately took the one on her left since it was closest to the main course. Yusei sat on her other side, and Jack sat next to me. I reached for my own silverware, licking my lips with anticipation, and yelped in surprise as Jack slapped my hand.

"What was that for?!"

"Must you always act like a complete child?" he snapped, folding his hands in his lap.

"I am only seven! Must you always act like a stuck up?" I threw back, rising out of my chair to stare him down. "You're not that much older than Yusei or me, so don't act like you're the one in charge!

He smirked. "She hasn't given us permission to eat yet, idiot."

I blinked. That's right! We were servants to the Princess! Plopping myself back in my chair, I bowed my head as heat seared across my face. She must think I'm a moron...

A tinkling sound brought my head back up, and my jaw dropped. The Princess was laughing! Little tears were trickling down her cheeks as one of her hands covered her mouth, slightly muffling the giggles she was making.

I looked to Yusei, whose eyes were wide in shock, then looked to Jack, whose jaw was open like a fish's. It would be so easy to stuff one of the biscuits in his mouth right now... I thought to myself, glancing at the basket that held the golden orbs.

"It's...It's alright, Crow," she gasped, wiping her eyes and giving me a bright smile. "Everybody, dig in!"

"ALRIGHT!"

* * *

"I'm so full..." I groaned, sitting back in my chair. My belly was sticking out farther than I have ever seen it! "That was great!"

"Thank you very much for the amazing meal, Princess." Yusei said, bowing his head in the Princess's direction.

I rolled my eyes at Mr. Mannerism and reached for another biscuit... only to grasp the tablecloth. Blinking, I looked from left to right. They were there a second ago!

"I think that's enough for you."

I glowered at Jack as he took a biscuit and slid the basket out of reach. "Oh, yeah? Who says?"

"Let's see, now," he said, taking a small bite of the golden loaf. "You finished half of the main course BY YOURSELF, consumed one of those miniature stuffed ducks in under a minute, finished the garlic mashed potatoes, then polished off the steamed vegetables that I was so looking forward to! So yes, I would say that you have had quite enough!"

"You just weren't quick enough, so too bad!"

"Guys, come on, stop shouting." Yusei pointed a finger to his lips, trying to shush us.

"Stay out of this!" we shouted, slamming our fists down on the table as we stood. "Alright! That's it! Time to settle this with a duel!"

"Boys!"

"Bring it on!" I yelled, pulling my cards out. "Me and my dueling deck will put you to shame!"

"It's 'My dueling deck and I', moron, and I'd like to see you try!"

"Boys"

We turned our fiery eyes on the Princess. "WHAT?!"

I gulped. Her eyes went from amused toffee color to deathly tiger orange and a dark aura surrounded her. Looks like I just got myself in a whole lot of trouble...

"I don't like shouting..." Her eyes flashed in silent warning as Jack and I pointed fingers at each other. "I don't care whose fault it is. I. Hate. Shouting."

"W-w-w-we ap-p-p-pologize, Princess!" I rushed, clenching my eyes shut tightly as I stood and bowed. "It won't happen again! We promise!"

When she didn't speak, I peeked up and found the Princess standing above me. I shrank as her eyes burned me to my bones. She was going to put me back out on the streets for sure...

Her heavy sigh caught me off guard. "I just can't stay mad at you."

I blinked. "Huh?"

She suddenly cupped my face with her hands, squeezing my cheeks, and smiled. "It's those eyes of yours. They are just too pretty!"

I couldn't help but smile as she clapped her hands, even though my face was caught in the middle. She really had a thing for my eyes, huh? Though they were a rare gray color, I couldn't be the only one she's met that has them...right? "Umm...Princess?"

"Yes, Crow? What is it?" she said, growing serious. "Are you still hungry?"

"Oh, no, I'm stuffed fuller than the pig we had for dinner!" I chuckled, pointing to my now sandwiched face. "Could you by any chance let go of my face, please?"

"Oh, goodness, I'm so sorry!" she immediately released my face.

"It's cool," I said while massaging the feeling back into my cheeks.

"Looks like I won't have to beat you in a duel after all, loser." I heard Jack mumble under his breath.

As I turned to throw a punch in his face, the Princess suddenly reached out and grabbed my arm. I blinked, surprised at her quick movement, and noticed that she had her head tilted to the left. "Princess?"

"What's a dueling deck? Aren't you supposed to duel with swords?"

I felt my eyes bulged out of my sockets. "You don't know what a duel deck is?!"

"Crow, be nice." Yusei stood and smiled kindly at the Princess. "It's like this; you find cards that you like and put them together to form a deck. A deck can consist of up to 60 cards. There are different kinds of cards: monster, spell, and trap." He pulled out his own and showed cards matching his description, pointing out the affinity and different effects monsters could have.

As Yusei was explaining the basics, I looked down at my deck, and couldn't help but feel sorry for the Princess. My deck was my treasure, my very soul, and shared a special bond with every card in it. It helped me get out of a lot tight situations, and I felt safer when I carried it with me. The fact that the Princess had never heard of dueling blew my mind, but that was going to change.

"Alright, everyone, listen up! Come on, eyes up here!" I gestured for everyone to gather around me. "I think it's time the Princess got her own deck."

"That's a good idea, Crow!" Yusei smiled. "Good thinking!"

"But it's eleven o-clock, bird-brain." Jack huffed, turning away from us. "It can wait until morning."

"Jack's right," the Princess nodded. "Let's head to bed and get up early to get a head start. How does that sound?"

I flashed one of my best smiles, giving her thumbs up. "We are going to construct the best deck for you better than Pegasus himself could ever hope to build!"

"I doubt that, bird-brain."

"Alright, Jack, that's it! Bust your dueling deck and throw down!" I bellowed, grabbing his shoulder and turning him to face me. "Right here, right now!"

Yusei pulled me into the hallway, sighing heavily. "Can't you two put your fighting off for more than four minutes?"

"I find it quite amusing, but their volume could use some work." The Princess half-smiled as she disappeared into her room.

Jack stuck his head out of the dining room, his eyes wide. "Did she just insult us?"

"She's telling the truth, you know..."

"What was that?!" Jack and I shouted, grabbing Yusei by the front of his shirt.

He broke free, a giant grin on face, and disappeared into the neighboring room. There were three twin-sized beds, each a different color. Yusei chose the one with a dark navy comforter that had galaxy-like prints. Jack chose the one that looked like it was on fire. The only one left was an orange one that made me think of sunsets

Leaping onto my bed, I sighed as it slowly molded to my body. Memory foam was truly the best invention ever... "So this is our new home..." I whispered, pulling out my deck of Black Wings. "What do you guys think? Pretty nice digs, huh?" 

* * *

"Wow!"

I smiled as the Princess grabbed my sleeve, her caramel eyes wide and filled with wonder as she took in the towering buildings. We were walking through New Domino square; Jack was in the lead while Yusei and I were on either side of the Princess. She insisted on wearing a hooded coat and a white porcelain mask with light pink roses.

"Almost there," I said, pointing to our destination. This was the best place to find every card in existence. "They say that this place was once owned by the Motous."

"The King of Games was Yugi Motou, right?" she asked as we entered the store.

"You catch on quick!" Yusei nodded, taking her over to the monster cards. "What kind of deck do you want?"

"Well," she took off her mask and pulled something from the inside of it and showed it to us, "I do have one card. Maybe we could find some cards that are similar?"

My breath caught. She had a card that I have never heard of! It looked just like the fountain that was in the Garden!

"Ah, I see you are in possession of the legendary Black Rose Dragon, young miss." the elderly clerk said, his curled mustache tilting in the corners as he smiled. "You must be a special child."

"Um...well..."

"Sooooo you got any cards that she could make deck from?" I jumped in, seeing the Princess begin to look uncomfortable. "Maybe some plant monsters?"

The clerk reached into the drawers behind him and pulled out multiple black binders. "Here are all the plant monsters." He pulled out a smaller blue binder. "Here are all the spell cards every used in a plant deck." Finally, he placed a similar sized binder on top; this one was a deep maroon. "This one is full of traps that I think you will find very useful. Have fun kids!"

"We will!" we chorused, carrying the binders to a nearby table and spreading them out.

After half an hour, I had a couple cards that would be awesome additions to her deck. "I have ten cards for you, Princess." I said, handing her the monsters that I had found.

"Thank you, Crow!" she smiled, looking through them and holding up Rose Fairy. "Ooh, I like this one!"

"You special summon this monster if moves from your deck to your hand by the effect of a Spell, Trap, or Monster card." Yusei explained, pointing to the description under the dancing fairy. "Her attack points are 600, and her defense points are 1200."

"So, this card should be played in defense mode, which is placing the card horizontally, right?"

"Right!"

"For a girl, she catches on fast." Jack mumbled, sliding the cards he found across the table. "Take these."

"Jack-"

"It's okay," she said, smiling, as we combined all the cards and taking them to the counter. "Jack will just have to pick up the tab."

"I WILL WHAT?!"

"Fine selection, miss. Your total comes to this..." the clerk said as the total was displayed on the screen.

I laughed as Jack's eyes bulged from his head. "Aw, come on, it can't be that much. Just suck it up-" My words died as he grabbed the front of my shirt and shoved the screen in my face. "T-t-t-hat's a lot!"

"I was only joking," the Princess giggled as she counted the money to the clerk. "That should cover it!"

"Thank you for your business, miss. Please come again!"

She threw the clerk a small smile, and then placed the mask back over her face. Why did she feel the need to wear that thing? I frowned. She was pretty enough, so why wear something that covered her face?

"There's a food stand. Are you hungry, Princess?" Yusei asked, pointing out the hot dog stand about a block away.

Her eyes grew wide as she read the sign. "Hot dogs?!"

"They aren't actual dogs, Princess, they are actually similar to pork sausages." I explained as Yusei and Jack went to retrieve the food. "It's actually really good."

I looked down to see her hands shaking, nearly dropping her new deck. "Princess?"

"Hey, girly, Halloween is still a long way off." My eyes narrowed as three men surrounded us, sneering and snickering. They had torn clothing and smelled like month old fish. "Come on, hand over the deck before we get handsy."

"Hey, back off!" I spread my arms out wide. "Go get your own!"

"Hand it over now!"

"I want to go home..." I heard the Princess whimper. "I want to go home NOW!"

I grabbed the Princess as wind suddenly tore through the street, knocking the men over. The sidewalk cracked and thorny vines began to wrap themselves around the three men, piercing their skin and drawing blood. I blinked as a familiar scent in the wind caught my attention...it was something I remembered from recently... That night in the Garden flashed in my mind. That's it! This was happening because the Princess was distressed!

"Princess, it's okay!" I yelled over the screaming of the people around us. "They won't lay a hand you! I promise!"

The wind stopped as I caught the Princess before she fell to her knees, the vines disappearing and the three men took off running down the street. She was shaking like a leaf! I turned her around and picked her up piggy-back style. "It's going to be okay, I promise." I whispered, glancing back at her worriedly. She was really pale and there were little beads of sweat trickling down her face.

She shifted as I stopped to wait at a crosswalk, her mask sliding off down a few inches as she lifted her head and blinked as the sun came out from behind a cluster of clouds. "...Crow?"

"Well, hey there, sleepyhead." I grinned, removing the mask completely and revealed her confused features. "You have a nice nap?"

"What am I...?" Her eyes suddenly grew wide and watery. "Oh no... It happened again, didn't it?"

Oh no! She started crying! What do I do? Yusei is the one who can handle people crying, but he was still across the street! "Hey, its okay, Princess! It was actually really cool! You were the bomb!" I yelped , dropping her mask as her hands gripped my hair tightly.

"Wait, why am I on your back?!"

"You fainted after kicking those guys' butts! Now let go of my hair!"

"Put me down this instant!" she screeched, pounding my back.

"Keep that up, and I will drop you!" I warned. My hands were starting to slip from her struggling and I didn't want to risk upsetting her any more than she already was. I didn't want her to get hurt if I accidentally lost my grip either, so I only tightened my grip, earning another pull on my hair!

"The second you drop me, the second you lose supper!"

"WHAT?!" I stumbled, nearly losing my grip on her. "THAT'S NOT FAIR!" The aura from last night suddenly came back, making me shiver. Oh no...

"Crow..."

I slowly put her down and took a step backward. "Hey, P-P-P-Princess?" I squeaked, shrinking half my size.

"Crow..."

Oh, crap! She's giving me a death glare! Say something, Crow! My salvation suddenly sparkled in the sunlight, just inches away from my hand. "Y-y-y-y-your mask?"

She blinked as I held up her fallen mask. Her cheeks suddenly turned bright red and the aura disappeared as she felt her face. "But...how..."

Now was my chance to divert her attention! I offered a small smile, stood, and tied it back on. "I don't know why you even want to wear this thing, but if it helps you feel better, then go ahead and wear it."

"I'm sorry, Crow...I didn't mean to-"

"Don't worry about it, Princess." I said, grinning. Before I could stop it from surfacing, my humor kicked in and blurted the first thing that came to my mind: "Did you know that it makes you look kinda like a clown? The pink roses look like targets on your cheeks."

"WHAT?!"

The light turned green and I ran for my life as she screamed my name, chasing me to the hot dog stand. Yusei and Jack were watching with looks that said "What could that moron have done now?". I couldn't help but grin as she finally caught up, getting ready to rip me a new one, and shoved a hot dog into her open mouth.

* * *

Back in the Garden...

One of the rose bushes was glowing brightly, almost as blinding as the setting sun itself. The greenery of the bush grew more vibrant as the orange rose blossoms became tinted with the faintest hint of gold on the petal brims. 

Beneath the Garden...

The Concealed One's eyes opened, revealing faint gold orbs. She raised her head slightly, glancing up at the surface of her dwelling. The Princess was experiencing something new...something that made her growl lowly... Her head fell back down to its resting place, closing her eyes to return to her dreamless slumber.

* * *

M: What do you guys think?

*All boys are silent*

M: Was it that bad? Let me know your thoughts!


	4. The Yellow Rose

M: Hello everyone! Got another chapter for you!

Jack: Finally! My turn to talk!

M: Yes, yes, I know you have been looking forward to this.

J: Prepare yourselves, readers, Jack Atlas is taking over.

Yusei and Crow: We're in trouble…

M: Please read and review! I'm beginning to wonder how 133 viewers (thank you all so much, by the way!) equals 0 reviews...huh! I don't own rights to Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds!

* * *

Trial of Roses

The Yellow Rose

"Hot dogs aren't all that great," I mumbled, watching the Princess fawn over the new food. "Actually, they are quite grotesque."

Crow suddenly shoved one into my mouth, smearing ketchup all over my face. "Aw, come on, they aren't all that bad!"

Reaching up to wipe ketchup from my eyes, I brushed my bangs and found more. He got it...in my HAIR! He knew that my hair could easily soak up any color it comes into contact with, and the thought of it turning red made my blood boil! Biting the food in half, I resisted the urge to spit it back out as the Princess gave me a smile. She giggled, saying I looked like a red Kuribou, and began to clean my face with a few napkins, surprising me that she was being so gentle. I remained stoic and poised until she stood back to examine her work, nodding in approval.

I rolled my eyes as Crow stuffed yet another one in his mouth; his fourth, I believe. This outing was completely boring me to death. Crossing my arms over my chest and closing my eyes, I leaned against a nearby wall, waiting for them to finish their little snack.

My thoughts trailed back to that night. The alleys were in a maze like formation, so the fact that we were able to escape was a miracle in itself. So how had we found ourselves in the Garden? The possibilities of us getting through the walls of ivy covered gates were just as slim, yet we got through as easily as walking down the street! Then we discovered her...

She was singing a strange song, one that I didn't recognize, but it wasn't awful. And her cloak made blending with the coming night easy. It wasn't until Yusei pointed out her silver band that I realized that she was THE PRINCESS, Princess Akiza! But something was off...

Why had she taken us in? We are nothing special, just three orphans trying to find our place in the world. Yusei had lost his mother during his birth while his father was lost in a scientific research mishap and ended up in the orphan system with Crow. Crow doesn't remember ever having parents, but had jumped from family to family. The orphan system was like a high maintenance adoption program that took in kids off the streets and placed them in families that would help raise them into "respectable" citizens. That's where they got their markers, which acted as a homing device. Those were deactivated last year though since they left the system and joined me.

I, on the other hand, had no such mark. My family was the uptight sort; appearance meant everything to them and they didn't care who they knocked down so long as they came out on top. They attempted to make me a perfect poster boy for their family business in medical technology, but I refused and ran away.

My eyes snapped open as a car pulled up. It was a cream colored Bentley with titanium rims, just screaming "Look at me! I'm rich!". A couple people around the stand began murmuring as the driver, a servant that I recognized from the castle, stepped out and opened the door for the Princess.

"Looks like it's time to go." I shoved Crow in the back seat first, gestured for Yusei next, and closed the door behind the Princess as we took our seats.

"Princess, your suitor has arrived at the castle." the servant informed as we drove back to the port where the yacht was waiting. "He is very anxious to see you again."

I felt her shudder and looked down to see her clenching the new deck tightly. My eyes narrowed. She had her powers, so what was she so worried about?

Her head suddenly snapped upward, making bird-brain nearly jump out the window. "I almost forgot!" She began rummaging in one of the limousine's compartments and pulled out three little tube-like things about the size of those jumbo pencils; one blue, one red, and one gray. "These are your pagers! Make sure you keep them on you at all times so that I can contact you in case I need anything."

I accepted the red one she handed me and activated it with a push of a button. A screen approximately the size of one of those portable DVD players expanded and showed a picture of the Princess with a little of her personal info. There were different links from the kitchen to the study and so on. One that caught my attention was the link to our individual pagers. I threw Crow a sideways glare as his grinning face suddenly came across my screen. So he figured out how to establish a video chat link...wonderful.

* * *

I was searching the castle's server for anything that I could find about the royal family while waiting for the Princess to finish preparing for her visitor. I'm not the gossiping type, but I had learned at a young age to be informative and resourceful while keeping your head down. Jack Atlas wasn't going to let himself be duped by anyone, and the way I kept it that way was by checking for any secrets someone might have. It wasn't that I didn't trust the Princess, I just need to keep an eye out for my number one: Jack Atlas.

The servant from dinner last night flashed across my screen as I was finishing up an article about one of the wings collapsing. "Will you inform the Princess that her suitor, Prince Koda, is in the courtyard?"

I nodded, put away my pager, and knocked on her door. "You're supposed to report to the courtyard."

Silence…

"I'm coming in." Cracking the door, I spotted her standing near the window. I felt my cheeks warm as she turned to face me, smoothing out her lacy cap sleeves.

She was wearing a floor length dress that at first reminded me of the bitter brown champagne that I once stole from an adult party, but against her hair and complexion, it looked more like a pink. There was white floral lace decorating the top that slowly disappeared as it reached toward her knees, and an ivory sash tied into a bow around her waist. Her dark magenta hair was curly, framing her heart-shaped face nicely. What caught my attention the most was the worried look in her eyes.

"Princess?"

"Sorry to keep you waiting. Let's go." She attempted to cover her worry with a smile as she walked past me. "Jack?"

"Yes?"

Although her smile didn't reach her eyes, I saw something that looked like hope in their depths. "I would appreciate it if you would come with me..."

Bowing, I followed her to the courtyard. Along the way, she told me a little about this suitor, Prince Koda. He was from the neighboring kingdom to the west and was very intelligent. Evidently, he was responsible for a lot of the strategies used in the businesses of his region. When we arrived at the courtyard, she dismissed me verbally, but her eyes seemed to beg me to stay. "If you need anything, just call me." I said, bowing my head. "I won't be far."

She turned away from me and disappeared into the courtyard. What was she so afraid of? I wondered, leaning against a nearby pillar, crossing my arms. Whoever this Prince Koda was didn't seem to be on her friend list, and she wasn't particularly fond of him. I blinked as my pager began to chime.

Crow's grinning face appeared on the screen. "Sup, Jack!"

"Crow, I'm a little busy at the moment."

His grin fell into an annoyed frown. "Why did you get to go with the Princess, huh? We could use plenty of help getting rid of all these bugs! You know how Yusei is with bugs!" Crow left the screen and was replaced by a pale, shivering Yusei. "He's scared stiff!"

"Not my problem." I said, not even fazed by the tides of bugs. When was the last time they had an exterminator? There were spiders and boxelder bugs crawling over every inch of the room they were in.

"Help me, Jack!" Yusei whimpered, sweat dripping off his face as a spider crawled over his foot.

My lips tilted into a smirk. "As much as I would love to lend a hand, I'm currently waiting for the Princess to finish meeting with her suitor."

"Wait, she's with who?" Yusei suddenly grabbed the pager, earning a yell from Crow. His eyes, which were normally sapphire colored, were now a deep lapis and tight with worry. Something was bothering him...

"Some guy named Koda."

"Prince Koda? Jack, you need to keep an eye on him." Yusei's eyes suddenly got even darker; that only happened when he was serious. "He's a fourteen year old bully who doesn't know how to keep his hands to himself."

My head shot up as a muffled shout came from the depths of the courtyard.

"Gotta go." Slipping the pager into my pocket, I began sneaking through the courtyard's statue garden. The hedges were about shoulder height surrounding each statue, and had white peonies decorating them. There were really no good places to hide, so why couldn't I see them?

The sound of fabric tearing from my left caught my attention. A hushed whisper followed by more tearing of fabric sent my blood racing. I would have seen them by now, but there was no sign of them! Spinning on my heel, I scanned every inch of the courtyard.

"Now, now, Princess, don't go and ruin the game for me..."

I narrowed my eyes and spotted the so called prince under the statue of a Jack's Knight. My jaw clenched and my blood boiled as he shifted and the Princess's tear stained face became visible. Her dress skirt was dirty and pulled up to her knee by the hand that wasn't pushing her against the statue's base. One of her lace sleeves was missing and there were scratches on her person, making her pale skin blotchy and pink. Reaching out, I grabbed him by his collar and threw him to the ground with a loud thud. My anger for the little cretin rose as I heard the Princess begin to cry softly. He was going to wish he had never crossed the great Jack Atlas, servant of Princess Akiza!

"How dare you, you low life!" the prince shrieked, standing and dusting himself off. He was a thin twig with broad shoulders, his pale gray hair was disheveled from my little toss, and angry eyes the color of grass glared at me from behind a pair of black framed glasses. "I'm the dashing Prince Koda! How dare you lay a hand on me!"

"How dare I? How dare YOU lay a hand on Princess Akiza!" I shouted, my hands latching onto the front of his expensive looking suit. "If you ever lay a hand on her again, I promise to personally kick you out of the castle." I paused, blinking as he punched me in the face, then grinned. "You're going to have to try harder than that if you want to take me out. Care to try again?"

He struggled as I lifted him off the ground and threw him a good six feet away. Standing, he threw one last look toward where the Princess was still crying, locked eyes with me, then ran away bawling his head off. I was probably going to get punished for it later, but it felt good knocking that little punk down a few notches.

"Jack..."

I turned and dropped on my knees before the Princess, checking her for any injuries besides the scratches. Her hands were shaking as she was trying to cover herself, trying to hide them from me. Gently but firmly, I grasped her wrists, and pulled them away from her body. There were many bruises beginning to form along her arms and one was forming on her left cheek. Finger marks decorated her like bloody sprinkles on a cupcake. I blinked. Did I just compare the Princess to a cupcake?

"Here he is! He's the one who hurt me!"

Releasing the Princess, I stood and faced the still crying prince who was now accompanied by the King himself. He was about two feet taller than I was, and wore a crimson robe encrusted with jewels and vine patterns stitched with gold thread. Next to him stood the Prince, who was holding his nose with a white piece of lace. I thought was a handkerchief, but then I remembered that a strap from the Princess' dress was missing. That little punk...

"Jack, was it?" the King asked, glancing from me to the Prince to me. "You are one of her new personally appointed servants, correct?"

"Yes, sir." I nodded, bowing slightly. "I am Jack Atlas."

"Did you cause the Prince harm?"

"Only because he was asking for it, sir." I bit back a smirk as the King's brown mustache twitched, his cocoa eyes twinkling.

"And why did you do it, son?" he asked, leaning down and locking eyes with me.

I stared right back, showing him that I had nothing to hide. "I was doing my job, sir: protecting the Princess from those who wish to do harm."

"Akiza was hurt?" I nodded as the King straightened, and moved the hedge aside for him to see the damage for himself. His eyes darkened and I noticed that his lip twitched. "By whom?"

"Prince Koda, sir."

"Your Highness, I assure you that this lowly servant is lying!" Prince Koda cried, pointing at me. "He was the one who hurt the Princess, and when I tried to save her, he overpowered me!"

"Quite your whining, you big spoiled brat. I don't care if you are a prince, but that doesn't give you the right to harm anyone." I growled, slowly taking steps toward the now cowering boy. "Especially the Princess I serve."

"Now, now, Jack." The King pulled me to a halt, his hands resting on my shoulders. "I understand what happened quite clearly now. Please take my daughter back to her room and help her clean up."

"And the Prince, sir?" I asked, picking up the now silent Princess, and turning back to the King. "Would you like me to escort him from the castle? It would be my pleasure."

The King chuckled, whispering in my ear. "As much as we would enjoy it, Jack, I think we should send him home as he is. His pride will be wounded enough when I inform his parents of the incident."

The Princess was silent until we reached her room, where Crow and Yusei were waiting. I'm going to have to change my shirt since it was soaked with her tears. Her head hung low as I placed her on the bed. "Thank you, Jack..."

"Why didn't you use your powers?" She flinched at my harsh tone, but I didn't care. "You are more than capable of defending herself. Why didn't you stop him from touching you?"

"Jack, maybe now isn't the time to question her."

"Can it!" I growled at Yusei. "You didn't see what the Prince was doing, so don't even try to pretend like this was no big deal."

"I'm afraid..." she whispered, her eyes still staring down at the floor.

I kneeled in front of her, grabbing her chin, and raising it so she was looking me in the eye. "Why are you afraid of your powers?"

Her eyes filled with more tears. "Because I'm the reason my brother was never born."

"That's impossible, everyone knows that the Queen was in an accident and the baby was lost." Yusei said, kneeling next to me and placing a hand on her knee. "Why do you think it was your fault?"

"She still had three months to go..." the Princess sobbed, shoving our hands away, and burying her face in what was left of her dress. "I was going to ask her maidservant if my mother was available...but I overheard her speaking with someone on the phone...she spoke of killing my mother and taking my brother..."

My eyes narrowed. "Let me guess, you lost control..."

"I didn't mean to! I couldn't help it! I just got so angry at her!" the Princess sobbed, her body shaking. "The whole wing suddenly caved in..."

"That's right." I heard Crow whisper. "They didn't expect the Queen to survive the accident, let alone the procedure to remove the stillborn Prince."

She nodded, falling to the floor as she began hiccuping between sobs. "My mother -hic-was impaled by-hic-a ceiling beam...the baby-hic-died on-hic-impact..."

We all sat around the Princess in silence as she broke down, crying her heart out into her dress. Something didn't seem right... Didn't the report I read earlier say that the Queen had been staying in one of the oldest wings of the castle? If the wing had been as new as the rest of the castle, then...

I gently grabbed her by the shoulders and forced her to look up at me. "I want you to listen to me very carefully and engrave every word I say next into your mind: It wasn't your fault."

"But-"

"No, listen to me." I gently shook her, trying to get her to focus only on me. "The wing your mother was staying in was older than the rest of the castle, right?"

Her forehead furrowed and frowned in confusion. "Well..."

"Yes or no?" I asked lowly.

"It was quite a bit older than the rest of the castle," she admitted.

"If it had been newer, it wouldn't have caved in like it did."

She blinked at my words. "If it had been...newer..."

"If that wing had been remodeled when the rest of the castle was, then if wouldn't have fallen in so easily. It would have been able to withstand your power." I explained, scrubbing her face with a rag I found on her bedside table. "It wasn't your fault. It was never your fault."

"R-Reallly?"

I smiled and nodded as she hiccuped, her crying finally done. "Now, let's get you cleaned up. You look like Yusei does after a battle with a spider."

"See, Yusei, I knew he had a soft side."

Hearing Crow's comment sent my blood boiling. If I didn't do something quick, they are going think I'm growing soft! I can't risk rumors of the great Jack Atlas becoming a teddy bear! "That's it, Crow, YOU'RE DEAD!" I bellowed, launching myself at the orange haired nuisance.

_  
Back in the Garden...

One of the bushes had started to die, this time the roses were yellow. They began to wilt, their once soft petals becoming brittle and brown. The greenery of the bush turned dull, nearly decaying off the branches.

Beneath the Garden...

The Concealed One's head bolted upright. The Princess was losing trust in someone... A growl rose from her throat as the yellow roses died. Whoever it was better prepare themselves for judgement. She blinked in surprise as the rotten blooms were suddenly replaced with small new buds and the greenery slowly progressed back to a faint lime green. Her head fell back down to its resting place, closing her eyes to return to her dreamless slumber, slightly curious about what had occurred and who had caused this sudden growth.

* * *

M: Well? Did you have fun?

Jack: Not too bad, huh?

M: It was actually pretty good.

J: The great Jack Atlas always delivers.

*Yusei and Crow are seen rolling their eyes*

M: Please read and review!


	5. The Crying Rose

Me: Greetings, everyone!

Yusei: Hey, there! Haven't seen you in a while!

M: Yeah, well, we were packing up to move to our new apartment!

Y: How exciting!

M: Yep! So here's a new chapter to celebrate!

Y: She doesn't own rights to Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds!

* * *

Trial of Roses-Chapter 4

"Man, those bugs are going to haunt me for the rest of my life..." I grumbled,  
praying that this was the right room as I opened the door. The room was as big as a football field! In the middle was a dragon shaped fountain similar to the one in the Garden, but less ferocious, that sat in the middle of a giant pool the size of an old fashioned duel field.

"That's Ancient Fairy Dragon, in case you were wondering."

Turning, I smiled as the Princess, who was dressed in a rose colored robe with short sleeves, came up next to me with a fluffy pink towel in hand. She explained that the kingdom was once saved from an evil force by five dragons: Ancient Fairy, Black Rose, Stardust, Red Dragon Archfiend, and Black-Winged Dragon. They combined their powers and defended the kingdom from annihilation years ago, and were considered the guardians of the five royal families.

"Were you planning on taking a bath?"

"I was, since I can still feel the bugs crawling all over me..." I shuddered. "Those were some of the biggest bugs I have ever seen."

"So Jack wasn't kidding when he said you hate bugs," she giggled, setting her towel on a chair near the pool's edge. "Do you want to go first?"

I shook my head, bowing. "I insist you bathe first, Princess."

"Nonsense."

"But Princess-"

She snatched my towel from my hands, and snapped my behind, sending me reeling into the pool. Surprisingly, the water was very warm and very relaxing. I could just float here all day...

"Hey, you might want to take those clothes off before they drag you to the bottom. Come over here when you're finished so I can wash your hair." she called, kneeling near a small submerged bench, a few multicolored bottles next to her.

Did I just hear her right? Heat pooled into my face as her words rang in my head, but it wasn't because of the water's temperature. The PRINCESS, of all people, wanted to help me, her SERVANT, take a bath...

Shaking, I began to take my clothes off piece by piece; first my navy blue shirt, then my black cargo pants, but leaving my dark gray boxers on. One of the few things I first learned was that a man should never be exposed before a lady. We were a few years apart, I guess about three or four judging from her almost chibi appearance, but I wasn't going to be the one to have "The Talk" with her. Placing my clothing on the fountain's base, I swam to where the Princess was patiently waiting.

She smiled, squeezing some shampoo in her hands, and began scrubbing my hair. I couldn't help but squirm as her fingers worked out the tangles, trying my best to keep my composure.

I looked over my shoulder to see her reach for a glass pitcher that was floating in a basket just out of reach. Smiling, I moved to bring it closer, but gasped when I felt her free hand slip from my hair. I reached to stop her fall, and we both fell into the deeper water.

My lungs screamed at the water's sudden intrusion, causing my chest to start convulsing. I broke the surface, coughing up the water I had inhaled, and wiping the suds from my burning eyes. "P-P-Princess, are you alright?" Silence. "Princess?"

Again, no answer. The only sounds were the fountain's soft trickling and my breathing. Wait... I strained my ears and nearly missed a muffled scream. The water was bubbling a few feet away... Was it possible-!

I couldn't finish the thought as I dove under the surface near the bubbles. The slightly soapy water stung my eyes as I searched the bottom of the pool. Just as my lungs were beginning to scream for air, I caught a glimpse of a figure near the vent.

Her robe was slowly sucking her away into the vent system! She was struggling to remove it, but it had wrapped around her legs and chest like a snake. Bubbles billowed from her mouth as she caught sight of me and called my name, her eyes wide and fearful.

I grabbed the robe and attempted to rip it, but the fabric was too strong. My efforts doubled as her struggles slowed. If I didn't hurry, she was going to drown! Using every ounce of strength I had, I gave a might heave...and the fabric tore! Grabbing her, I pushed off from the floor and launched us to the surface, landing on the tiled floor near the bath's entrance.

"Princess!" I rolled her over onto her back and shook her shoulders. Her eyes were closed and she wasn't breathing. Was I too late? "PRINCESS!"

She suddenly bolted upright, water spewing from her mouth as she coughed violently. My body trembled as all the pent up worry I had held in melted away, leaving me exhausted. That was a close call...

Something soft brushed my hand. I suddenly noticed how close we were, and that my hands were on either side of her. "Princess, I'm so sorry!" I yelped, sliding backwards and blinked in surprise. Whatever was left of the once robe was hanging off her shoulders like a shawl, revealing a light pink one-piece swimsuit.

"I'm usually very careful when I come to bathe since I can't swim in the deeper ends. Please let me make it up to you!" she cried, kneeling in front of me.

I shook my head, holding my hands up as she came closer. "No, it's okay!"

"I insist!"

We fell backwards into the shallows as she attempted to reach my hair. Though the water only came to our waists, she still kept a firm hold on my arm until she found her footing. Her hands were so soft and small, they seemed to be as fragile as the porcelain mask she wore during our outing earlier this morning.

After seating me on the shallow's floor, she grabbed the conditioner from the floating basket and began working on my hair again. There were hardly any tangles preventing her fingers from combing my hair, and I didn't bother hiding my small smile this time. It was much more enjoyable this time around.

I turned my head slightly when I felt her pause. "Princess?"

"I must be dreaming..." she whispered, tilting my head backward into the water and scrubbed until the last of the soap was gone. She released my head and retreated to where the towels were, her curious eyes never leaving my hair.

Looking into the water, I caught sight of something gold in my reflexion as she threw the white towel over my head. I couldn't help but grunt as her hands roughly raked through my hair. What was she trying to do, pull it out?

She threw the towel toward the room's entrance and placed her hands on her hips, moving to stand in front of me. "Amazing! Even after getting all that dirt and grease out of it, your hair still sticks up!"

I blinked up at her, scratching the back of my head. No matter how many times I had raked my own hands through it, it always stuck up on the sides. Even Jack couldn't get it to stay flat.

"What about these gold highlights, huh?" she whispered softly, running her hands gently through my dark hair. "Did you get them from your dad too?"

"I don't think so, but who knows."

"I think they look nice,"

I looked up, and my eyes locked on hers. They were warm like melted caramel, and held a soft sparkle. With the soft light coming from the fountain and from the pool lights, she looked as pretty as- No! I shook the thought away. She was the Princess and I was her servant! Speaking of her being a Princess..."Princess, can I ask you a question?"

"Of course."

"Don't you have lessons and such?"

Her entire demeanor changed into a brooding, nearly depressed state. The sparkle in her eye disappeared and her smile died. "I actually have a music lesson after studying history around 9:30 tomorrow morning."

The worry in her eyes was really bothering me... I understand that not everybody likes learning stuff like history, but she just didn't seem like one of those people. "Could we come along?" My chest clenched as the worry turned to horror.

"It won't be very interesting, I promise! It's quite boring! Why don't you take Jack and Crow back to New Domino for the day?" Her smile returned, but it was weak. "After the lesson, I'm free for the rest of the day."

"Princess, I'm pretty sure I speak for the three of us when I say that it's our duty to accompany our Princess to and from her lessons." I said gently, then sighed. "I'm pretty sure Jack would appreciate the chance to exercise his mouth."

* * *

"It's not too late to change your minds..."

"We are here now, and here is where we are staying." Jack huffed, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning back against the wall. "Deal with it, Princess."

"Such disrespect!" shrieked her tutor, Ms. Brixly, in a high soprano pitch that hurt my ears. She reminded me of one of those opera singers; big and fat with plenty of rolls. The crimson colored tight fitting dress barely reached her knees, doing nothing for her figure, her matching high heels were four inches high and seemed to bend with the strain of sustaining her weight, and her bright orange hair was curled and pulled up into a high bun on top of her head; closely resembling Crow's hair. "How dare you speak that way to the Princess!"

Jack's eyes narrowed and smirked. "Instead of running your mouth, why don't you actually run those legs? Maybe around a track or on a treadmill, for example." The tutor suddenly grew ten times her normal size, towering over him, her cheeks as red as her dress. Crow grinned and snickered as I rested my head in my hands. This guy was a total smartass...

"It's okay, Ms. Brixly," the Princess walked over to where we were standing and smiled sweetly as she slung her arms around us from behind. "Jack, who is the blonde one, is always like that. Crow is the carrot top, and Yusei is the silent one."

I bowed my head in embarrassment as she gave us all a quick kiss on the head. Crow could only blink in surprise, reaching up and touching the area, while Jack just kept his eyes locked on the ceiling. We turned our attention to the girls as they approached the black grand piano in the west corner, waving us away.

"Alright, my dear, time to get started."

Through the door, we could hear her go through simple warm-ups, rising and falling through the scales as easily as breathing. The notes rang through the air softly as a gentle breeze swept through the open window down the hall. I closed my eyes, enjoying the simple tune. The music changed as she added her other hand, giving it a mysterious feel as she began to play Moonlight Sonata. My fingers tapped along the window sill as if it were my own piano, keeping pace with her. It was a personal favorite of mine and a family I once stayed with insisted I learned to play. Since then, I had been secretly using the town's music store to get to know the different instruments. Looking from Crow, who was dozing on the floor resting against the wall, to Jack, who was occupied with his pager, I slowly added my left hand and lost myself in the music.

Then it stopped...

My hands dove into my pockets as Crow suddenly sat upright from his place beneath the open window, tilting his head. He had way better hearing than myself or Jack, so it was no surprise when he would catch sounds that we couldn't. What DID surprise me was the fact that his eyes grew twice their size.

"Someone's with them. I think it's the King." he explained, seeing my unvoiced question. "He's asking her about yesterday."

I noticed that Jack stiffened, his eyes darting to the closed door as he put away his pager. "What did happen in the courtyard? He didn't hurt her or anything, did he?"

"Like you warned, he was very handsy. Where else do you think that bruise on her cheek and arms came from?" his eyes narrowed, challenging me to question the matter further. "Do I need to elaborate?"

Shaking my head, I moved my attention to Crow, who was starting to look uncomfortable. Jack and I nearly jumped when he stood, his gray eyes never leaving the door. I raised an eyebrow as his lip twitched.

"Calm down, will you?" Jack grumbled, shoving his shoulder. "It's not like anything is going to happen."

Crow slapped his hand away, his eyes becoming charcoal. "Don't touch me! I'm trying to hear what's going on! He's upset about something, and it has to do with the Princess!"

 _(Cue piano version of Falling Inside the Black by Skillet)_

Cold darkness suddenly flooded my mind as music came from within the room, slowly forming an image... There was a small lithe figure dressed in what appeared to be a white sundress hunched over, her eyes hidden behind long bangs that reached the floor. There were tears slowly trickling down her cheeks, but there was something wrong...her eyes were a dark red, almost a black.

My eyes shot open as something whipped me in the face, nearly knocking me off my feet, but there was nothing there. Jack rammed the door as glass shattered, and we spotted the Princess sitting alone at the piano, her hair covered her eyes as the breeze from the window next to her grew into an all out tornado. The way her fingers moved over the keys reminded me of a spellcaster from old fairytails...

I guess her tutor must have been dismissed once the King had entered since she was nowhere in sight. The King! Where was he? I combed the room with my eyes, and finally found him disappearing behind one of the farther doors. "Handle this!" he commanded, slamming the door behind him.

I turned to see Crow and Jack dodging furniture as it was thrown about the room. Looking to the Princess, I noticed that something was off. Her cheek was red... as if recently... "Princess!" Her head tilted at my call, but her hands continued the music. Pain suddenly exploded across my face, whipping my head to the left. My head was forced to the right as the pain came again, this time from the left. It was as if I was being slapped...

"Princess, that's enough!" Crow yelled, slowly making his way toward her. "I know what happened!" He was suddenly thrown back into the wall near me, knocking the wind out of him.

"What exactly happened?" I asked, helping him up.

He looked up at me, his eyes tight with worry. "He slapped her. He was upset that she allowed someone else to touch her. He started calling her awful things..."

It didn't make any sense! Every father was protective of their daughter, but why would he be upset about "allowing someone else" to touch her? She wasn't a possession, but a human being! But maybe because she was their only child...

"We have to snap her out of it!" Jack shouted, reaching to grab onto the piano. "If we don't, she could tear this whole place apart!"

True to his words, the walls began to crack and the floor was starting to shake as the music became nearly deafening. I clenched my head in pain as another force slammed into me, knocking me to the floor, and banging my head. Forcing my legs to stand was when I noticed a strange occurrence: there were droplets of crimson red dotting the piano keys and the Princess' gown, smearing as she played. Her fingers were now slick and covered with blood as she began to climb the scales.

"Akiza!" I yelled. Her head slowly turned, and I felt myself grow cold at the sight of her bloody tears. One of her eyes had turned bright blue, almost matching my own, while the other was crimson red. The pain and fear in them hit me hard, her emotions were very similar to what I had felt after news of my father's passing reached me. I wasn't going to let her suffer like I did!

I lunged at her, my arms reaching for her as Crow and Jack did the same. The second our arms wrapped around her shoulders, her head fell back as her hands finally stilled. The blood red tears that were trickling down her cheeks slowly stopped as her glazed eyes stared blindly up at the ceiling. "Help...me..." she whimpered, closing her eyes and falling limp.

We took her to her room and cleaned her up the best we could. The dress was ruined, so we had to throw it away and ask one of the other servants to redress her. Jack had left for a short while to check in with her tutor and came back with a smirk on his face, a tell-tale sign that he had caused unnecessary problems. It wasn't until later that evening that she finally woke up.

"We cleaned you up the best we could, Princess." I said, gently helping her sit up. "You really scared us back there." I blinked as her toffee eyes suddenly glowed gray.

Her entire posture stiffened as she spoke, her voice deeper and almost growl-like. "I need to go to the Garden."

"With all do respect, you need to rest." Jack crossed his arms over his chest. "Don't make me tie you down to that bed."

"Take me to the Garden." she demanded, her eyes flashing brighter. "Judgement awaits the Musician."

Crow, who had been standing on the other side of her bed, grabbed the damp washcloth that we had used to clean her face of the blood and squeezed it over her head. The amount of water may have been small, but it caught her attention. Her hand suddenly grabbed the front of his shirt and brought him close enough that their noses were touching.

"What was that for?!" she screamed, her eyes turning back to their caramel color. "That was cold!"

"She's back to normal!" Crow smiled, slipping out of her grasp as she tilted her head,

She looked from Crow to Jack, then to me. "Why am I in bed? Wasn't I in the middle of speaking with my father?" Her hand reached up and touched the cheek that was still slightly red. "And why does the right side of my face hurt?"

"You're saying you don't remember?" Crow whispered, his eyes shadowed.

"Did something happen to me? Please, you have to tell me!" she begged, grabbing onto any clothing we were wearing that was within her reach. "Whose time of judgement is it?"

I looked down at her hand grasping my sleeve and noticed that it was shaking slightly at the word "judgement". Sitting on the edge of the bed, I placed a hand on her shoulder and looked her in the eye. "It might be better if you didn't know, Princess, especially with what happened this afternoon."

"Sorry, Yusei, but I disagree."

My eyes locked with Jack's, warning him to stay silent. Who knows how she would react if the past events were recalled. We didn't need her to have another meltdown.

"I think Jack is right." Crow said, sitting cross-legged on her other side. "It's better she hears it from us than anyone else. We were the only witnesses, after all."

Crow had me there. I sighed, nodding my head. "Do you want to tell her, or should I?"

"You lost control of your powers and said something about a musician."

"JACK!" We chorused, pulling him down onto the bed and slapping our hands over his mouth.

"I did?" she said, tilting her head.

"Princess, during your conversation with the King, did he called you dirty and unclean because you didn't stop that Koda kid from touching you." Crow began, not meeting the Princess' curious gaze. "He also called you his prized possession, and that no one was supposed to touch you besides him."

Jack suddenly shoved our hands away, his eyes dark and tense. "Sounds like Koda isn't the only handy one around here."

"He slapped me, didn't he?" I heard her whisper softly. "Even after he said he wouldn't do it again..."

My stomach churned. If the King viewed her more as a "prized possession" than his daughter and called her dirty because she had allowed Koda to touch her when the King said he should be the only one doing so... This was starting to sound a lot like..."Princess, is he-"

"Don't even think it!" she suddenly screamed, her hand suddenly slapping me across the face as she stood. The window shutters suddenly blasted open, wind tearing through the room. "My father would never do anything like that! He just doesn't understand why I am different than other kids my age! He doesn't understand how I feel about my powers, about how I despise them! NO ONE DOES, AND NO ONE WANTS TO!"

I felt my chest constrict at her words, and tilted my head forward so that my bangs shadowed my eyes. Didn't she hear a single word I had said that night, the night she found us? We weren't afraid of her then, and we certainly weren't afraid of her now! All I wanted was to help her, but who was I to help the Princess? I was just a damaged and outcast orphan that no family wanted... I was just like her before I met Crow and Jack; No one had tried to understand me or my feelings. I had to show her that we weren't that different, but how? "That's a downright lie, about no one wanting to understand you."

"HOW WOULD YOU KNOW?!" she screamed, tears streaming down her face as the wind shredded the curtains and blew objects all over the room. "I have been treated like a monster since I was given this power! My mother doesn't want to see me anymore, my father can't stand the sight of me for longer than necessary, and the servants are so afraid of me that they won't come near me, let alone serve me willingly! My father even tried to send me away, pretending that I never existed, but the Garden refused to let me leave the castle!" She pointed to the North tower that looked like it had been bitten into by something big. "When my father saw that I couldn't leave, he decided to lock me away, keeping me from having any contact with other people! I was so alone and afraid of myself! I couldn't stand to even look in the mirror!"

I felt Crow flinch as she punched the vanity mirror. Jack moved to stop her, but I pulled him back. It was better for her to get everything off her chest now than to keep bottling it up and hiding behind a fake smile. Since day one, I knew that her smile was just a mask to hide her pain. There had been plenty of times where I had seen faint glimpses of her true sadness when she thought no one was looking.

She began to sob uncontrollably. "All I had was a piano and my rose dragon! SHE was my only friend and family! SHE was the only one who cared enough to break me out of that tower father locked me in for two years! SHE helped me when no one else did!"

I stood and walked up to her, slowly wrapping my arms around her. She stiffened, trying to pull away, but I held her gently yet firmly, keeping her hands pinned at her sides so she wouldn't hurt herself anymore. Her struggling intensified as Jack came up behind me and placed a hand on her shoulder while Crow hugged her from behind.

"Unhand me at once! I command you to release me!" she screamed, thrashing against us. "I'm your PRINCESS! OBEY MY COMMAND, NOW!"

"Not until you understand what we are trying to convey," I whispered in her ear.

"What nonsense!" She began to fling herself every which way, trying to break our hold. "What could you possibly want to tell me that I haven't been told already?! I know I'm a monster! I know I'm different! I know I'm a freak! I know I'm dirty and unwanted! What else could you possibly say that hasn't been said already?!"

"Forget all those things that people told you," The wind died as Jack's hold on her shoulder tightened, turning attention from her rant to us. His lips were set in a firm line as his eyes pierced hers, his gaze unwavering. He was telling her that not everything said was true unless she truly believed the words to be true in his own special way; he may have an attitude, but he always spoke the truth and she knew that very well.

"They weren't afraid of you, Princess," Crow whispered, his arms shaking slightly as he tightened his hold on her. There were small tears trickling from his clenched eyes as he buried his face in-between her shoulders. He himself knew fear very personally... I had first met him being chased by guards and dogs to drag him back to a family that had him fight in underground rings. Despite his size, he had defeated all the guards that were chasing him, but the fear in the family's eyes tore him apart. Other than his opponents in the ring, I had been the only one outside the ring to not show any fear as I stood between him and the guns they had pointed at him.

We understood her fear, and we wanted to show her that it wasn't because of their fear of her, but the opposite. "They were all afraid that they wouldn't have the courage or ability to help you." I rested my forehead against hers. Jack and Crow had found me outside my fifth family's residence. I had been punished for assisting someone who had been struggling with a drug addiction of desoxyephedrine, crystalized methamphetamine, by providing them other means of coping with life. The family owned a pharmacy, and with all the notes that my father had left me, I had created a new type of drug that was less harmful and very easy to make while acting as an antidepressant. I had the resources to help the person, but my family had not approved of the use of their medicines on someone from the lower spectrum. While my family had turned them away because of society's thoughts on that particular drug, I had stood firm and found something close to a miracle.

"You may have been shunned and isolated up until now, Princess, but now that we came along, you will never be alone." we chorused, tightening our hold as she cried.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Back in the Garden...

The blue rose bush was dripping, almost as if actually crying. The greenery of the bush became more of a teal as the rose blossoms became tinted with the faintest hint of red on the petal brims.

Beneath the Garden...

The Concealed One's eyes opened, but instead of revealing faint gold orbs, they were blood red. She puffed a cloud of smoke, glancing up at the surface of her dwelling. The Princess was in pain and was extremely angry at someone. Searching the girl's recent memories, she saw the events that had caused the sudden onslaught of anger. Focusing her energy, the Concealed One searched the minds of the castle inmates and found that the Musician was the cause. She was going to receive judgement very soon for her crime...

Nipping and clawing at her restraints, she struggled to free herself from the chains that the king of long ago had placed upon her. A sudden warmth enveloped her and stilled her movements. A stream of tears began trickling down her cheek as she felt the Princess' sadness pour from her soul like a rushing waterfall. The warmth slowly calmed the flow, eventually causing the tears to cease...

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M: How was that? You like?

Y: It was pretty good!

M: Please read and review!


	6. The Sinful Rose

Me: Hello, again! I was in such a good mood that I wrote you guys another chapter!

Crow: Well aren't you little miss sunshine.

M: We get to move into our new apartment next week! I'm so excited!

C: Awesome!

M: Enough about that! Story time!

C: She doesn't own rights to Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds!

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Trial of Roses-Chapter 5 The Feathered Rose

"Crow, can you come help me with this problem? I'm stuck on part b."

I gulped as the Princess called me over to her desk. A lump formed in my throat as she showed me the problem she was stuck on:

 _If an 18th century steam locomotive departed Jamestown at 6:00 a.m. and a six-horse drawn carriage departed at 6:15 a.m., which would arrive in Knoxville first?_

 _a) If the locomotive was carrying 140 passengers, 6 cargo cars, and a cabuse, how many passengers are in each car?_

 _b) If the carriage had five female passengers and each had brought along two trunks that weighed forty-seven pounds each, what would be the total weight of the carriage?_

 _c) Now calculate the speed that each would be traveling if they were facing forty mile/hour winds from the east._

 _d) If one of the women from part b was pregnant, how much more weight would the carriage be carrying?_

 _e) Add a crew of six to the locomotive, including two conductors. How much more weight would the locomotive be carrying if they were all middle aged men?_

 _f) The carriage has lost horse! How much longer will it take for the carriage to get to Knoxville?_

My stomach began to churn as images of horses and passengers and trains swam in from of me. I fell backward like a board and lied twitching on the ground as my mind shut down. When the horses finally stopped running around in circles, I opened my eyes to find the Princess and her tutor standing above me. I bolted up into a sitting position, scratching the back of my head in embarrassment as the Princess handed me a glass of water and downed it in one gulp.

We were all sitting in her study with a few tutors. Jack was making sport of a tall suit-wearing twig of a man with bright green eyes sparking from behind silver half-moon spectacles. The man's face was slowly turning from dusty gray to an angry pink as he read Jack's notes. He glared over his spectacles at the blonde leaning back in chair, a small bubble coming from his nose.

Yusei was scribbling away as a petite bluenette with a curly ponytail drew a diagram on the screen. Her lab coat was a spotless white and hugged her body as she reached across the board to write a quick note. I felt my chest tighten as her big brown eyes twinkled at Yusei's answer to her question. She was so pretty...

"Crow, are you okay? You have steam coming out of your ears again."

I jumped to my feet as the Princess' curious face appeared on my left. "I'm perfect! Totally okay! Yep!" I laughed, turning and walking back to my desk to hide my burning face. That was too embarrassing...

"Well, done!" Turning, I saw the tutors applaud as the Princess sheepishly hid behind her book. "Very impressive, Princess! You solved that problem quicker than your mother did!"

"She didn't actually solve it, did she?" I asked, my mouth hanging in shock. "That problem was impossible!"

"It was simple, really." She peeked over her book. "I just calculated in the average weight of each person by their gender and then took the cars of the locomotive, found their weight by determining their materials, and then it was easy. The carriage was easiest since only 20% of the carriage was steel, not really affecting the overall weight of the carriage."

We looked at each other, Jack, Yusei, and I, and steam exploded from our heads. She was a few years younger than Jack, and yet she was four times smarter than Yusei! How was that even possible?! Her face turned scarlet then she slowly disappeared.

Six hours later, we walked out of the study finally done with our lessons for the week. I threw a glare at Yusei as he nodded respectfully to his tutor, who waved. "Looks like you're getting pretty comfy with Miss. Noelle."

He smiled. "At least I pay attention."

"Shut up." I growled, adjusting the books in my hands.

Yusei took a few books of the top of my stack. "Need some help with your homework?"

I blinked at him, trying to tell if he was joking or not. "Serious?"

"Of course." he smiled.

My lips lifted into a smile. "Thanks, man. I appreciate it."

"Are you qualified to help him?" Jack asked, walking past with the Princess.

"Say that to my face, jerk!" I shouted at his retreating back. "That's right! You better keep walking!"

"Why not try using your brain for you homework instead of throwing insults at those who are superior to you?"

A loud smack suddenly rang through the hallway. Yusei stepped up next to me, his eyes wide. I couldn't believe what I saw! The Princess had slapped Jack across the face! I slowly looked to Yusei, who looked to me, and together looked back at the pair. The Princess' eyes were glowing a dangerous shade of red and flashed angrily when Jack locked eyes with her.

"You need to know your place, Jack." Her voice was distorted, almost as if a crowd of people were talking over each other. "You are a servant, MY servant, so act like it."

"You need to calm down." Jack snapped, rubbing his red cheek

"You are no better than any of my other servants," she growled, taking steps towards him and cornering him against the wall. "So get off your high horse, before I pull you down myself."

Yusei and I dropped the textbooks as Jack shoved her away roughly, almost knocking her into the opposite wall. "Jack, don't!"

"Bring it on!"

Her face suddenly distorted, warping into something inhuman. A creepy grin spread across her face, revealing shark-like teeth. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up as she giggled, her eyes dilating until they were black. "This will be fun!"

I saw her hand twitch and thorn covered vines appeared from behind Jack, wrapping tightly around his wrists and ankles. He struggled, flexing and thrashing in every direction, but he was stuck. With another creepy giggle, she skipped forward to stand before him. "I came up with a game we could play! It's called Hungry Jack. Want to know the rules?"

"Princess, stop it!" Yusei and I grabbed her arms, pulling her back.

"You guys can join too!" My blood grew cold as her black eyes turned to me, freezing me to the core, and took a step a back as she held up what looked like a golf-ball of thorns. "We have to feed him these until he apologizes."

Even though he was a jerk and deserved her slap, this was going too far. I stood between her and Jack, my arms outstretched. "Hey, Princess, that problem you solved today was pretty cool."

Her eyes locked with mine as she tilted her head to the left slightly. I saw Yusei move to stand behind her, ready to act in case I needed backup. He nodded for me to keep talking to her as she reached past me to shove one in Jack's face.

"The whole figuring out the passenger's weight and the carriage and the train," I continued, gesturing with my arms to accentuate my words. "I mean, that was INCREDIBLE!"

The ball froze not a millimeter from Jack's lips. "The locomotive...going to Knoxville..." she whispered, color slowly returning to her eyes and her hand began to shake.

"Yea! You remember now?" I coaxed, placing my hand on her shoulder and gently began prying the ball from her hand.

Her eyes seemed to struggle between black and her usual caramel brown as she looked at me closely. I met her gaze head on as the ball was released slowly into my hand. "That's right, Princess, look at me. Remember my eyes?" I whispered, tossing the ball down the hallway and gently squeezed her shoulders. "You like their color, don't you?"

The caramel won, and the black disappeared as her face returned to normal. "They are gray, which are very unusual. Only less than 3% are given that color."

"There's the Princess I know!" I smiled, opening my arms wide once more. "Give me a hug!"

A low huff interrupted our little moment. "Get me down."

"Is the great Jack Atlas asking for help?" I asked, throwing him a smirk over my shoulder as the Princess giggled.

* * *

My stomach growled loudly as lunch was placed before us. Today we had smoked salmon with steamed fresh veggies and a side of Cesar salad. To drink there was ice tea and freshly made juice. I was overjoyed to find that it was apple, my favorite!

"So, Princess, what are the plans for the rest of the day?" I heard Yusei ask as I dove into my food.

"I believe that's it, to be honest."

"Finally! Thought I was going to die of boredom!" I stared at Jack, who had mirrored me. "Are you copying me?!" A sheepish smile found its way onto my face as the Princess smiled and laughed, nearly spilling her tea.

She suddenly froze as a deep gong rang through the wing. Her eyes wide, she bolted from the room, gesturing for us to follow. I shoved one last bite of salmon down the hatch before being grabbed by my two friends. We sprinted through the hallways after her until we screeched to a halt at a balcony over looking the Garden. The Princess was standing next her parents, the King and Queen, in a balcony overlooking the Garden as two people entered the Garden and placed on tiles that stood out from the others.

"What's going on?" I whispered to Yusei, hoping he could explain the hushed silence.

"I can't believe we are about to witness a Judgment..." he whispered, his eyes wide.

"Judgment is when someone receives punishment for something they did, right?"

He nodded. "That's the nice way to put it.

"Shut up, you two. The victim is making her statement."

After sticking my tongue out at Jack, I turned my attention to the brilliant colored "victim" as she took her place on the white tile. She had crimson hair that reminded me of Brixly's dress, and wore many layers of jewelry on her neck and wrists that dangled and clinked with every move she made. Tossing her long black hair over her shoulder, she fixed her bright green eyes on the large woman standing opposite of her.

The "accused" was none other than the Princess' music tutor, Ms. Brixly herself! She was just as fat as ever, her rolls stacking on top of other rolls from within the very deep v-neck navy dress that she was wearing. She held her head high, as if she was attempting to look down her nose at the taller woman in front of her.

"Please make your statement." The rose bushes of various colors seemed to shudder as the King's voice thundered over the Garden.

"I, Lily Anne DeNyx," the tall woman began. "accuse you, Elizabeth Cordellia Brixly, of treason against the royal family of the Enchanted Rose Kingdom."

Murmurs broke out from the court that was in the neighboring balcony to our left. I looked to Yusei, who explained that accusing someone of treason could be a double edge sword; either way, one was going to face punishment. But what did she mean by treason against the royal family?

"After many months of observing your role as the music instructor for the future heir, Princess Akiza Izinski," she bowed her head in the Princess' direction, then continued. "I have accumulated many forms of proof to show your plans of deception." With a flourish of her hand, many screenshots of the musician appeared on the screens that were showing the Judgement.

There were many of the musician coming out of rooms that were strictly off limits to anyone without clearance from the King himself and a few showed her sneaking in and out of the chambers of the King and Queen. I felt my face grow hot as a screenshot of her sneaking out of the Princess' chambers. The time stamp in the lower right corner showed that it had been taken at the beginning of the week...the day before we arrived.

"There is more." She pushed a button on her personal pager and Ms. Brixly's voice echoed across the Garden. "This recording was taken shortly after the Queen's accident."

" _You spoiled brat, play it right! You missed more than the allowed four notes!"_

 _Crying was heard in the background followed by a loud slap._

 _"If you are going to open your mouth, you better be singing!"_

 _A shrill, unmistakable voice cried out. "You are pushing me too hard!"_

 _"Nonsense!" The sound of struggling was heard. "Now you listen to me very clearly, Princess..." Her voice suddenly dropped into a growl. "After they kill the current Queen, I need you to become Queen so I can kill you and take your throne..."_

I couldn't believe my ears. Slowly, I turned to look at the Princess, but she was avoiding eye contact with anyone. Why hadn't she do something about it?

"I now present her with this," Slowly, she reached out and threw a black rose at Brixly's feet. "For she was the cause of the Prince's early death."

Brixly threw her head back, laughing. "You could have tampered with the audio files and Photoshopped those images. Everyone here knows that you have been after my job for months now."

An earsplitting growl suddenly erupted from where the royal family stood. At first I thought someone had let in a very large dog, but I gasped as the Princess stood on top of the banister. Her eyes were a bright red and flashing brightly, a sign that I had come to know very well: she was very angry. What I wasn't prepared for was her now distorted voice.

"Are you blind?"

I swallowed the lump in my throat as a breeze carrying a scent that I didn't recognize swept threw the Garden, making the air heavy and thick with a light fog. Her eyes were nearly blood red and her hair was billowing like a cloud around her head. "Princess, don't!" I shouted as she jumped down and slowly walked up to the black rose bush and reached a hand out.

A guard suddenly shoved his hand over my mouth and grabbed me from behind. "Be quite, son. This isn't the first time the Princess has done this. She will be alright. Look."

She had plucked another black rose and was handing it out to her music tutor. "If you are innocent, the rose should change to a different color." The creepy smile from earlier stretched across her face as the large woman hesitated.

It felt like everyone drew a breath as the large woman snatched the rose from the Princess. The seconds passed so slow that you could swear that an eternity passed between each one.

One second...

Two seconds...

Three seconds...

Four seconds...

The air was pierced by a shrill scream coming from the woman: the rose had wilted and died in her hand. "It's not possible!" Her eyes widened as the rose began dripping with red, as if it were bleeding. She raised the flower, showering herself in red, as she prepared to throw it away...only to have it wrap around her hand. She screamed as the stem wrapped its way around her arm, heading straight for the rest of her fat body.

The Princess laughed. "Did you really think you could hide the truth? You are nothing but trash, spreading filth in your wake."

The large woman fell to her knees as the ground around her cracked. The stem was now wrapped tightly around her like a glove, it's thorns drawing blood from the woman caught in its deathly embrace. What skin was visible was starting to change color, and I covered my nose as the smell of poison and rotting flesh filled the Garden. With a one last scream, she vanished from view as the ground beneath her fell away into a pit that seemed endless.

"Did you see the look on her face?" the Princess laughed, holding her sides as she nearly doubled over. With one last chuckle, she turned to the remaining woman, her eyes glittering as the fog dissipated. "Lily Anne DeNyx, please step forward." The lithe woman stepped forward, her head bowed and she kneeled in respect before the Princess. "You have done this kingdom a great honor by bringing that criminal before the court. With the permission of everyone here, I wish to award you with a new position as my music instructor. I know that you are very passionate about music and have been playing since you could write your name. You used to practice at a music store in Domino when you were a child, yes?"

The woman's head shot upward, her eyes big and full of awe. "That's right, miss. I first learned the piano then continued onto singing once I started going to school to study musicology."

The Princess' smile grew as she looked up at her parents and the court. "I think she is more than qualified to fill the position, don't you?" An applause rose from the onlookers as she helped her new teacher stand. "I know you will treat her well. Take care of her, Miss DeNyx." she said, smiling, then fainted.

We ran to meet Miss DeNyx at the staircase as she carried the Princess to us. Placing her on my back, I carried her back to her room as requested by the King and Queen. The aftershock I felt coming from my friends lightened slightly when she finally regained consciousness hours later.

Sitting up, she rubbed the back of her head, yawning widely. "What time is it?"

"It's almost dinner time." I answered, my stomach growling loudly to confirm me.

"That late already?" she asked, rubbing her eyes.

Yusei handed her a glass of water. "Princess, can I ask you a question?"

"Shoot."

"Do you remember the Judgment at all?"

I held my breath. For him to come out and ask such a direct question so soon after the whole...thingy was really bold. Then again, when he was curious about something, nothing could stop him from diving in and learning everything there was to know about something. Finding out whether not she remembered the afternoon's events was an interest of mine too.

She nodded, tipping the glass back and downing the water in a gulp. "Yes, I do, but I really don't want to talk about it..."

"That's okay!" I jumped in, bouncing on the bed to sit next to her. "We can talk about something else! Like what's for dinner!"

Jack shook his head while leaning against the bedpost. "Is food all you think about?"

I thought for a second. "Now that you mention it..."

The Princess' tinkling laugh filled the room as Yusei rolled his eyes. Seeing her eyes sparkle with humor, I continued to tell her about all my favorite foods to help keep the Judgment off the menu until she was ready to talk about it. There was no hurry to bring up the horrible fat lady and whatever her fate was.

Beneath the Garden...

The Concealed One's head lifted as the ground shook. A shrill scream tore through the Dwelling as a fat figure fell from the ceiling. A terrible roar came from the pit underneath her and she hugged the cave wall as the figure was snatched up by the creature that rested farther down. The scream was choked off by the sounds of bones breaking, followed by a low growl-like purring that nearly deafened her. She shook herself as blood exploded from the dark depths, showering her from head to tail tip. The Musician had finally pained for her sins.

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M: What you guys think?

C: Scary!

M: Was it really? Huh. Please read and review!


	7. The Flustered Rose

Me: Hello, everyone! So sorry to keep you waiting!

Jack: Like I care.

M: This is your chapter, by the way.

J: Then what are you waiting for? Get it started already! I don't have all day!

M: This chapter is more of a filler, so it may be a little shorter.

J: You dare to cut me off?!

M: Get over it. I don't own any rights to Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds! Please read and review!

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Trial of Roses-Chapter 6

 **The Flustered Rose**

" _Ladies and gentlemen, please help me welcome to greatest turbo duelist to every pick up a deck since the King of Games himself, JAAAAAAAAAAAAACK ATLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAS!"_

 _The roar of the crowd as I entered the arena was nearly deafening, and I didn't bother to hide my grin as camera's flashed, nearly blinding me. I was finally going to achieve my ultimate dream: the best duelist in the world! Sliding my deck into the disk, I raised my fist. "Who's the master of faster?"_

" _Jack Atlas!" the crowd answered._

" _I can't hear you." I placed a hand behind my ear. "What was that?"_

" _JACK ATLAS!"_

"Jack."

I groaned, rolling over and pulling the covers over my head. Any second now, the crowds were going scream my name as I started the duel…

"Jack!"

"Crow, shut up." I growled, throwing a pillow in his general direction. "It's too early to be awake."

"Dude, it's nine."

Shifting, I glared at him through partially open eyes. He of all people knew better than to disturb Jack Atlas' sleep. "Your point?..." I growled.

He smiled widely. "Just thought you might want to get up since it's your turn to do laundry."

My eyes widened and I bolted upright. "It's your turn, idiot. Don't try and shove your work onto the great Jack Atlas!"

"You missed it last week and I had to do it!" he yelled back, throwing the pillow back in my face.

"He's right." Yusei walked in, carrying a large basket filled with clothes. "You better get started. This is just half of Crow's."

I shoved my covers off, mumbling curses as I grabbed the basket from him and stomped down the hallway toward the laundry room. Granted all I had to do was sort and place them in the machines, it was still a pain. I leaned against the machines as they worked, waiting for the timer to ding.

The door opened and the Princess stuck her head inside, calling my name. "There you are, Jack! I've been looking for you!" she said, a light pink tint to her cheeks. Her eyes kept darting around the room, avoiding me completely. "I have a small task for you once you are done with the laundry. Come find me in the study when you have the chance! Bye!"

"Is something wrong?" I asked, grasping her wrist as she made to run off. "You won't look at me."

Her blush grew bright red as she finally looked at me. "Well...um..."

"Spit it out already, I don't have all day."

"You...you're..." she pointed downward.

I looked down and felt my face heat up. I had forgotten to put pants on! Desperate to cover myself, I grabbed an article from the basket next to me and shoved my legs through it. To my horror, I had grabbed the shirt that Crow had worn when we went to Domino City! THE ONE COVERED IN KETCHUP!

"Well. I'll see you later... once you get fully dressed..." she giggled, making a quick exit.

I could feel my self-esteem deflate as her footsteps faded away. The Princess just saw me- Jack Atlas- make a complete fool of himself! She probably thought I was nothing but a big loser... My anger flared as I hung my head and caught sight of the familiar ketchup stained shirt. "CROW! GET YOUR BUTT IN HERE!" I bellowed into my pager after establishing a video chat.

"Sorry, I'm unavailable to take your call right now!" Crow said, smiling. "If you would leave your name, number," his smile suddenly turned flirtatious. "and ladies, if you would please list your hobbies, I'll get back to you as soon as I can!"

"YOU ARE SO DEAD WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON YOU!"

* * *

Once the laundry was finally finished and I was properly clothed, I went in search of the Princess in the study as she had requested. It's been two days since we witnessed the Judgment of her former music tutor, and she still wouldn't talk about it. The distortion in her face and voice kept popping up in my head, despite how hard I tried to shake them away. The door opened and I fell back as something collided with me.

"I'm so sorry! Are you alright?"

I rubbed the back of my head, sitting upright. "Why don't you watch where you're going?" My words died on my lips. Standing before me was the weirdest girl I had ever seen! Her glasses were far too big for her face, magnifying her eyes until they were owl-like. There were two little piggy-tails that held her black hair in star-shaped barrettes and she was wearing an jean dress with overalls straps. Where did this girl come from, a hicktown?!

She bowed her head. "I'm so sorry! I wasn't watching where I was going!"

"What's all the commotion out here?" I felt my face flush as the Princess appeared behind the girl. "Is everything okay, Carly?"

I jumped to my feet and bowed my head in her direction. "I apologize for keeping you waiting."

She waved my apology away as if she was swatting a fly and helped the girl to her feet. "Carly, meet one of my personal servants."

"The name's Jack Atlas." I held my head up proudly. "And don't you forget it."

"I'll try not to," she mumbled, holding a hand out to me. "My name is Carly. It's nice to meet you...I guess..." Using a finger, I grasped her hand and shook it gingerly. Her hand was covered with ink, as if a pen had exploded while she was writing or something.

The Princess smiled. "Carly is going to be my new literary advisor. Would you show her around a bit?"

I bowed my head in her direction. Who was I to tell a princess no? Taking the girl's hand in mine, I escorted her from the room. "We'll start in the courtyard."

"That Carly is something else..." I groaned, collapsing onto my bed after a long two hours of showing her around the castle. "Every time I said something, she had to write it down."

"So that's her name."

My eyes narrowed as Crow plopped down next to me. "Don't you still have homework to do?"

He froze, and then grinned widely. "Just taking a break, that's all!"

"Whatever, now get off my bed." With a shove, I kicked him off my bed and onto the floor. My eyebrow twitched as he jumped right back up, and crawled back to his original place. "Can't you take a hint?"

A shriek from the Princess' room caused Yusei, who had been napping, to bolt upright and roll off his bed. The door suddenly burst open and the Princess came bouncing in, a giant grin on her face. "I'm so excited!" she shrieked, running around the room. "I can't wait!"

"Excited about what?" Crow asked, sitting up and leaning against me.

We both nearly fell of the bed as she suddenly appeared in front of us, her face inches from our own. "We get to go on a trip to visit my grandmother! I can't wait to introduce you guys to her! She's wanted to meet you guys for a while now!"

"Are you sure you should be traveling?" I asked as she paused to take a breath. "You haven't fully recovered from the Ju-"

"Don't." she cut in, her bangs falling down to shadow her eyes. "I don't want to talk about that right now."

"Princess," I gently laid a hand on hers. "It's been three weeks and you still don't want to talk about it."

"So what?" she threw back, slapping my hand away. "I don't have to talk about everything with you, Jack. You don't make that call, I do. I chose what to discuss with you and that's final."

Yusei stood and tilted his head. I was just as perplexed as he was. She had become more defensive since the Judgement, and kept more things to herself than usual. That wasn't the only thing that had changed: her eating habits had flip-flopped. Strawberries and other fruits were once her main source of nutrition, but lately she had traded them for salads and meats. The other day she had turned down baked strawberry cheesecake, her favorite dessert, for another serving of lasagna.

She huffed. "If you don't want to go, then you can just stay here."

"I would like to go, Princess," Yusei turned on his best smile. "If you will allow it."

Her entire demeanor flipped from authoritative ruler-to-be to giddy little girl as she turned to address him. "I would love it if you joined me!" she chirped, a wide grin on her face. "You will come too, Crow?"

"Why not?" he shrugged, nudging my side. "You know you want to go, so just suck it up and apologize."

My eyes widened. _I_ had to apologize?! "What would I be apologizing for?" I whispered back as she began telling Yusei about her grandmother.

"For being a jerk, jerk," He ducked as I took a swing at him, missing by a few inches. "Just do it, Jack. Unless you want to be stuck here and end up doing the chores all by yourself."

He had a point... Slowly, I stood and knelt before the Princess, taking her hand in mine. "I apologize for being rude, Princess. Would you please forgive me?" I nearly dropped her hand the second I touched it. It was ice cold and very bone-like! Looking up at her, I noticed that upon closer inspection, her skin looked more fragile and that there were faint scars scattered along her arms. _When did those appear?_ I wondered, studying each one. They looked like little clusters of petals...

Her laugh pulled me from my thoughts. "Silly, I already have!" She continued on to discussing what time we needed to be up and ready, then excused herself for the night. "Make sure you pack everything you need!" she called, disappearing through the door to her room with another squeal.

Yusei knelt and pulled a suitcase from under his bed and began nicely folding clothes. "I saw them too. They appeared shortly after the Judgement."

I turned my gaze to him. "What do you think they were from?"

He shook his head. "I have no idea. It's not from the roses in the courtyard, that's for certain. The roses almost seemed to… I don't know, they seemed to react like a pet would to an owner."

"She smells different." Crow jumped in, stuffing his belongings into his suitcase. "She used to smell like strawberries and roses, but now she smells like wet grass."

I rolled my eyes. "It's almost disgusting how good your sense of smell is."

"It's not like I had any say in the matter!" he yelled, slamming his suitcase shut and marching to stand in front of me. "At least it's better than yours!"

I raised an eyebrow. "Oh, really?"

"Yeah!"

"Guys, stop it." Yusei shushed, pointing at the door. "The Princess is trying to sleep, remember?"

"Who cares!" Crow yelled, pulling out his duel disk. "Let's do this!"

"What's with all this racket?"

I blinked and saw Yusei slowly drop the shirt he had in his hand into the suitcase, his eyes never leaving the Princess. Judging from his and Crow's expression, neither had heard her come back in. Jack Atlas wasn't afraid of anything, but right now I felt fear clenching my throat. The Princess had suddenly appeared in the middle of the room wearing a short dress and was carrying a pillow behind her. She had left not two minutes ago, but the change in her was almost scary. There were dark purple bags under her now red eyes; giving her a haughty look that could scare a zombie to death...if that was possible. I realized with a jolt her current appearance reminded me of the little sisters in _Bioshock_. Her dark eyes locked on Crow, who had frozen in the middle of placing his deck in the disk. He started to shrink when the Princess stomped over and loomed over him.

"You…" she growled.

He quivered. "M-m-me?"

"You're Crow… You are the funny one, and have helped her laugh more than she has in the past few years."

She tilted her head as she turned to me. A petal-like scar had appeared in the corner of each of her eyes, almost giving her already tilted eyes a cat-like look. They were a deep red, almost as red as her hair. "You're Jack, correct?"

"That's me." I nodded. "Are you sleepwalking or something?"

"Jack," Yusei whispered. "That's not the Princess."

"Sure it is." I nervously chuckled, but not even I believed my own words. This was definitely not the same girl that we served. That's when I saw that the red wasn't coming from the whites of her eyes, but that the caramel had been replaced with the red that was now staring me down.

"You are very egotistical and think you are the boy in charge of everything. I must say, you are very much of an ass-hole."

My jaw dropped at her words. Yusei's hand came up to cover his mouth and Crow buried his face in the pillow to stifle his laughs. She just called me-JACK ATLAS- an ass-hole!

She smiled. "But you are very loyal and protective, which makes up for your flaws. You will need to protect her more than ever in the months to come."

"The great Jack Atlas is not flawed!" I hissed, my face steaming in embarrassment and anger, which only grew as she ignored me and turned to Yusei.

He stood perfectly still as she walked around him, almost as if she was seeing him for the first time. His eyes followed her movements, never blinking or leaving hers. I thought my eyes tricked me for a split second, but he suddenly jumped as she rolled up his sleeve.

"I knew it was you," I heard her whisper as she raised her eyes to meet Yusei's confused ones. "You are one of them."

"What are you talking about?" he asked, gently removing his arm from her grasp.

She suddenly grabbed his arms, her eyes wide as she began glancing about the room. "I can hear it. It's getting closer…"

I was thoroughly lost now. The only sounds were the locusts outside and judging from Crow's confused look, he couldn't pinpoint what she could hear. We all nearly jumped out of our skins as she suddenly screamed at the top of her lungs.

"I can hear it! Make it stop!" tears started spilling down her cheeks. "Save her from the voice in the dark before it's too late!"

We all dived as she fainted, barely catching her before she hit the floor. What was all that about? As one, we carried her back into her room and placed her in bed. Her words kept ringing in my head as I watched her sleep. Her entire demeanor had returned to normal and it made the past five minutes seem like a dream.

"We better get to bed," Yusei whispered, gesturing us out of the room. "Tomorrow is going to be a long day, and we better get our sleep while we can."

I nodded and followed him back into our room. She had specifically told me-Jack Atlas- that she would need _my_ protection more than ever. As I waited for sleep to come, my mind began to wander and replayed her words over and over again. What could possible pose that much of a threat?

 **Beneath the Garden...**

The Concealed One's head fell with a thud as she returned to her own body, her breathing ragged and uneven. It had taken all her power to speak to them, and was left drained. The walls rumbled around her as an ear splitting roar came from the pit underneath her. Screams followed suit as a handful of victims appeared above her, falling toward the darkness. If she did't consume something very soon, she was going to perish... _Forgive me..._ Weakly, she lashed out her tail and stabbed a few, cutting off their shrill screams. She would have rather eaten her own tail, but she hadn't had anything to eat in over a century. Going so long without proper nutrition had taken it's toll on her; her once illustrious scales were now dull and brittle, and her once lean muscles were nowhere to be seen. A tear trickled down her cheek as she began her meager meal.

* * *

M: Well? What do you guys think?

J: I don't know what to say…

M: Well, sorry I disappointed you, but touch noogies. I'm in the middle of moving, so deal with it. Please read and review! I'll try to update as soon as I can!


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